Pat Madigan

Former programmer/engineer, recently retired (early… why wait?), living in a small town in Minnesota. Enjoying a simple, modest, relatively drama-free life. Pat as in Patrick.

“He whose desires are few fulfills them; he whose desires are many goes astray” - Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching

Avatar depicts old-time comedian Oliver Hardy playing a french horn. Header photo is a vintage advertisement for Zephyr trains, diesel powered, stainless steel, traveling from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Chicago.

Public Key

npub17q5ft3zsng3c3zx26gq5ruffj7ms24s6al4v7n5r06qm7sfv7w2syz578x

NIP-05 Address

patmadigan_at_c.im@mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs0q2y4c3gf5gug3r9dyq2p7y5e0dc92cdwl6k0f6phaqdlgyk089gydt750

Author Public Key

npub17q5ft3zsng3c3zx26gq5ruffj7ms24s6al4v7n5r06qm7sfv7w2syz578x

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Last Notes

2024-10-06 02:00:45

Government cheese
(yum!)
#mosteightiesthingever #hashtaggames
https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/113/258/003/872/714/349/original/982c996b07d939e1.jpeg

2024-08-26 00:15:50

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@npub1dts…6798 That was by far the most personal thing I’ve posted. But things worked out great for me, and suffice it to say, neither fishing or baseball were involved. 😂

2024-08-16 13:00:30

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@npub1ahq…wjwd Apple always has to class it up a bit. I suppose the other iPhone colors are midnight, ivory, and… uh… ambiguity?

2024-08-15 23:35:12

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@npub1sfl…gczt It’s probably kind of fun for you to be June Cleaver once in a while.
Kind of like for us guys… after we fix something in the house, we strut around like we just killed a wooly mammoth with a spear.

2024-07-27 13:39:19

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@npub18lj…80hq If all goes well, in a little over three months, we won’t have to worry about Trump any more.
We’ll still have his minions to contend with, but at least Trump himself will be removed from the bully pulpit.

2024-07-25 21:21:57

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@npub1k4q…3lsq Great comeback by Vivian!

2024-07-18 22:18:10

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@npub1yme…r5de That was a powerful campaign speech by Kamala Harris.
We will need that kind of energy to win in November.
🙏

2024-06-23 12:13:06

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@npub1sfl…gczt 4. Left this one out, to stir up the OC people

2024-06-18 12:07:26

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@npub1sfl…gczt What an awesome gift for (midwestern?) teenagers, there’s so much to see and do in the DC area. You and Mr. Blue must be the “cool” aunt and uncle.

2024-05-29 01:25:10

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@npub1sfl…gczt Good call! 🥵🔥

2024-05-29 01:19:15

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@npub1sfl…gczt Nice, that should last him at least a week or maybe even two. He’ll just have to call in sick for work.

2024-05-28 16:22:01

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@npub1f2y…m58m Because standing mostly naked in a boxing ring, hot and sweaty, with another man is definitely not gay.

2024-04-20 18:25:28

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@npub19mj…ugjc I wonder how the idea of a non-binary God would play out.

2024-04-18 14:05:17

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@npub1ahq…wjwd I always thought that gold futures were a sucker’s game. But now fool’s gold futures are looking good. Go figure.

2024-04-02 13:56:37

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@npub1sfl…gczt Fantastic, thank you!! 😀

2024-03-27 12:57:05

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@npub1sfl…gczt There is a trade off with that, true. My “technique” (self taught) is to use the roller on the easy parts and hit the top and bottom (and corners) afterward with a brush. There’s probably a better way.

2024-03-27 12:52:03

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@npub1sfl…gczt Adding an extension to the roller handle make a big difference for me. Kinda looks like a broom handle but it extends. I even use it for walls, not just ceilings, much easier IMO.
And maybe you already tried one.

2024-03-15 23:07:59

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@npub1c57…awu5 Yes! That was my beef with this house too. Including the cheap paneling... in the living room!
I will say, buying an older house with a lot of cosmetic issues did keep the price low, and that reduced cost of ownership contributed to me being able to retire early. Of course, I spent the first year of my retirement working on the house. 😂

2024-03-15 19:41:45

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@npub1c57…awu5 My 60’s house is a few years newer but had similar issues to yours. I understand the snowballing. For me the term was “but first”.

2024-03-01 13:44:47

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@npub1sfl…gczt This sounds great. Instead of a kitchen island, you could have an examination table. And bright lights!

2024-03-01 13:40:35

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@npub1sfl…gczt Cool! I know you’re gonna love the result.
We had good luck with granite, just sealed it every once in a while (yearly maybe) which is super easy. That’ll last you a very long time!

2024-02-29 03:05:09

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@npub1sfl…gczt That’s awesome news, congrats!!
And the two weeks off sounds perfect. It’s nice to have a gap between the two jobs.

2024-02-28 14:21:34

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@npub1lzz…jhl3 The journalists got so tired of typing “and why that’s a problem for the Biden Campaign” that now they use a Ctrl-Alt-Doohickey macro to plop in onto every newspaper headline, every cable-news chyron, etc.

2024-02-21 00:14:56

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@npub1sfl…gczt Well, if your current job is going away, then a temp job could be fine, if the compensation is acceptable.
And perhaps the transient nature of these opportunities is typical of (some kinds of) government work, I was looking at it more like a stable corporate job.

2024-02-20 23:58:03

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@npub1sfl…gczt I believe that your intuition is correct. In general, giving up a full time job for a temp contract job is a step backwards.
Exception: if your current job is an absolute dumpster fire, eventually that leap of faith is justifiable. Meaning, if you’re ready to walk off the current job with nothing else lined up. Sounds like you may be closing in on that.

2024-02-20 00:45:47

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@npub1sfl…gczt Ooh, banana chocolate chip, yum!

2024-02-19 14:27:04

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@npub1lzz…jhl3 Moxon’s essay is superb.
It’s easy to get distracted by the latest Republican hateful (or idiotic) activity, and lose sight of the overall plan.

2024-02-11 17:01:27

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@npub1sfl…gczt I think that, for most of us, the best we can hope for is a job that doesn’t stress us out.

2024-02-06 14:01:27

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@npub1aum…5jx0 I hope that the person responsible wasn't burned at the stake.
It's hard to imagine that the church would have appreciated this kind of humor, then or now.

2024-01-31 03:23:22

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@npub1sfl…gczt There was an otherworldly feeling during the shutdown, and those albums (Evermore and Folklore) really captured that, IMO.
God that feels like a long time ago.

2024-01-27 03:46:43

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@npub1sfl…gczt Dammit DeJoy, you had one job.

2024-01-11 15:06:20

https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/111/737/923/778/600/077/original/669245aaaab3a002.jpeg

2024-01-09 15:01:37

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@npub1rk3…43sg It’s apparently not happening for all posts, but it happens for this one.
https://vmst.io/@3x10to8mps/111726480224754750
https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/111/726/590/611/079/581/original/b5c8ee6052fb2af0.jpeg

2024-01-09 14:46:59

@npub1rk3…43sg #IceCubesApp There is a new bug. Replying to a post that has an image doesn’t work, on an iPad in landscape mode. The contents of the editing window are cropped.

2023-12-31 14:25:04

I rarely go anywhere these days, but I attended a small gathering last night where one person had a bad sore throat.
He said, “I don’t know what caused it.” He was too emotionally and physically screwed-up for the obvious question, “have you tested yourself for Covid?” Or, I should say, we were too polite to ask.
So now begins the 4 days of waiting to see if the rest of us caught something.
Please stay safe out there tonight, folks.

2023-12-29 19:43:40

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@npub1sfl…gczt This sounds good!
“That Shall Not Be Named” I think I’ve worked there too! 😂

2023-12-29 19:31:44

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@npub1sfl…gczt Networking is such a great way to get past the usual job search obstacles. I was horrible at networking but my few contacts paid off.
Plus, having at least one person at the new job that you already know is nice.

2023-12-25 03:13:06

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@npub1ddp…2tax Today’s Republican Party needs new adjectives. Even “conservative” doesn’t really make sense any more.

2023-12-22 14:35:02

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@npub1sfl…gczt @npub1nj7…lzxh If nothing else, it’s a great way to tell the condo board: “sh*t or get off the pot.”

2023-12-22 14:31:33

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@npub1sfl…gczt @npub1nj7…lzxh This is a thing of beauty. Well played. 😎

2023-12-13 03:05:36

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@npub1aka…zzz2 This is reminding me to wear my Red Wing boots more. They won’t get broken in like that by sitting in my closet. 😄

2023-12-06 13:44:11

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@npub1ahq…wjwd Love this. And apologies for misgendering your grandson yesterday. That cute little dude is gonna drive the girls wild someday.

2023-12-05 13:53:07

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@npub1ahq…wjwd @npub1rk3…43sg Not bad!
I mean, it’s nice when alt text has personalized info like “my granddaughter”, or the name of the place, or something funny.
But I could see using the generated alt text at times.

2023-12-02 22:52:15

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@npub18kh…v8r8 Spider Cat, Spider Cat… 🕸️

2023-11-29 13:08:39

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@npub1ahq…wjwd Stating the obvious here, but there’s no way that was just one rogue Apple employee at work. Somebody higher up was calling the shots. Curious to see where this leads.
Congrats to Mr. De Niro for bringing the original text with him and giving a memorable speech.

2023-11-29 02:56:02

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@npub1qll…r5q8 I really wish that they would recognize that former college students with private student loans are suffering as well.
I’m a co-signer for a pile of private student loans (one borrower). The kid is working hard to pay them all off, but the payments are huge and it’s going to take many years. I don’t get why private student loans are being ignored.

2023-11-23 14:13:03

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@npub18lj…80hq I think the folks you’re describing are not good with people IRL so they turn to social media as another way to interact, where they won’t be judged.
Or maybe they aren’t socially dysfunctional, so much as they’re just getting their ass kicked by life.
Either way, they have frustrations that can be revealed in their comments. In some cases they might have good intentions, and what they think is funny, light-hearted, and helpful, comes across as negative.
I tend to dismiss comments like that, as I’m not in their shoes. So many people in this world are dealing with crap that would rip most of us apart.
This being the day of gratitude, I suggest that we just mute and move on, but at the same time, wish them well.

2023-11-18 01:49:47

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@npub1sfl…gczt What in the world... 😂

2023-11-17 23:46:12

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@npub1sfl…gczt My gawd, they must have dropped off those sweet potatoes with a dump truck.
Two other cool things about that photo:
- they sell wine at grocery stores in your state, I miss that
- there is a great optical illusion: it looks as though they keep Tide in a cooler

2023-11-15 13:58:20

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@npub1sfl…gczt I believe that would do it for me, too.

2023-11-12 02:45:59

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@npub1sfl…gczt These look crazy good. And we can get them in a 20 pound case!
And no, that is NOT too many chocolate malted milk balls.
https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/111/395/280/534/523/246/original/3242fdc425809e9b.jpeg

2023-10-24 02:34:31

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@npub1k4q…3lsq This made me think of Matthew Inman’s experience as a web designer.
https://theoatmeal.com/comics/design_hell

2023-10-06 15:24:31

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@npub1ahq…wjwd
Thank you, this is an excellent opinion piece.
The #GOP really is saying the crazy part out loud now. Every day they take it up another notch.

2023-10-06 13:53:26

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@npub1ahq…wjwd I’ve noticed the issue with Notes not consistently syncing between devices. Photos too.
I finally got in the habit of not expecting it to sync anytime soon, and temporarily treat each one as standalone. Would be nice if they’d figure that one out.

2023-10-03 13:36:38

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@npub1grx…uxfe Same. I suppose it’s because we know there’s a man standing behind the curtain pulling levers. There’s an algorithm.
We try to enjoy Bluesky for what it is, but that’s not possible, because the uncertainty will always be there.

2023-10-01 02:20:19

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@npub1f2y…m58m Gas-powered shavers: basically tiny pull-start chain saws for facial hair. 😂

2023-10-01 02:17:06

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@npub1f2y…m58m It wouldn’t be so bad if they were ‘lectric.

2023-09-15 13:34:08

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@npub1ahq…wjwd What a shame that the boldest comments about the dysfunctional state of American politics are always from politicians who are retiring and can no longer do a damned thing about it.

2023-09-13 13:50:57

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@npub1lzz…jhl3 It was a good article, once I got past the gag reflex from seeing that photo, LOL.

2023-09-12 11:54:19

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@npub1yxz…6s8m My fav from Terry Gilliam.

2023-08-31 21:04:29

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@npub1szz…g5lr And you’ll never see a retraction or update from Ted Cruz on these blunders. His followers will never know the truth. No wonder these idiots are running around in a state of sheer panic.

2023-08-20 23:31:34

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@npub1xcy…2zyp @npub1nxt…055a I think my car is slightly narrower than your Sportage. There's times that I've bought drywall and quartered the 4x8 sheet to make it fit in my car.
And yep, farmers will need some way to get supplies, not to mention getting their livestock to market.

2023-08-20 22:36:24

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@npub1nxt…055a I'm kind of in that situation now, I have a car that can't haul 4x8 sheets of anything, and I need to finish a basement room.
I want a truck, but the truth is that I rarely need to buy anything this big. So having items delivered is a cost effective solution.
Also, for this project, I'm planning to use ship lap instead of drywall, so I won't need to have it delivered.
It's hard to imagine a carless and roadless future for 'Merica.

2023-08-03 00:40:26

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@npub18lj…80hq The Wizard of Oz must have scared me pretty good, back when I was 4 years old, watching it on a black and white TV.
That night, I had a nightmare about the Wicked Witch of the West, and woke up to her evil laughter. Half a century later, I still remember that dream with perfect clarity!
Today, I would probably consider the witch to be quite date-able, even in color. I think witches are sexy.

2023-08-01 13:31:20

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@npub1nxt…055a It must be a great feeling, to put all of that time, mental energy, and emotion towards creating an exciting new novel, only to have some schmuck who got a C- in high school English tell you how you cocked it up.
The book looks great BTW, I’m in! I happen to be fascinated with time travel lately, for reasons unknown.

2023-07-29 11:38:15

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@npub1w30…dh68 That quote has some serious Orwellian Ministry Of Truth vibes.

2023-07-21 13:04:59

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@npub103r…teth Tony Bennet was the last of the great ones.
It’s hard to think of anyone who was better at their craft, regardless of what their craft was.

2023-07-19 14:42:28

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@npub1ahq…wjwd I’m sure that a great many of us are having this same internal struggle.
Doesn’t it seem as though the word “justice” has taken on a completely different meaning these days? “Justice” used to imply a karmic quality, as suggested in your story. Now it’s about legal representation and due process, where the guilty often go free due to legal finagling.
Letting law-and-order handle the Trump prosecution requires tremendous patience, far more than I have been blessed with.

2023-07-16 13:32:29

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@npub1zdp…vqv8 @npub1h0d…jncs DeSantis really comes across as a useless shell; a puppet really, with his wife Casey pulling the strings.
What I can’t understand is, if Casey is calling the shots, why isn’t she making the speeches and running for office? Maybe because this is Florida we’re talking about, and women are considered to be less than equal there, so it needs to be Ron?

2023-07-04 00:57:54

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@npub1edc…0q44 Jim Bakker? Huh, I didn’t know that little weasel was still alive. And still shaking down the rubes for a few bucks.

2023-07-01 01:46:29

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@npub16rs…0uca Whatever they’re selling, I’m buying it.

2023-06-25 15:37:48

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@npub1edc…0q44 Wow. Anyone who's lived in an apartment or condo in the last ten years knows how easy it would be to accidentally try to connect to someone else's bluetooth device.

2023-06-23 22:46:15

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@npub1w30…dh68 This just gets better and better. Enjoy your revolution, Russia.

2023-06-20 21:11:55

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@npub1v2s…mqq5 “and paint Air Force One so pink you wanna ****!” 😂

2023-06-20 15:05:44

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@npub1v2s…mqq5 All good. I will admit to reading the article with a tinge of optimism. 😊

2023-06-20 15:05:09

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@npub1v2s…mqq5 Yep, we’re still waiting for that other shoe to drop!

2023-06-20 14:51:40

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@npub1v2s…mqq5 @npub1crl…mv08 I was sure this was meant to be sarcastic! Nope… looks promising actually, unless I missed something.

2023-06-16 13:04:59

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@npub1v2s…mqq5 Having the DOJ under his complete control is Trump’s wet-dream. He tried to do this in his first term but, thankfully, there was significant resistance from within the DOJ.
If the American public is stupid enough to re-elect Trump, then these DOJ holdouts are our only hope.

2023-06-16 02:50:25

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@npub15l7…aang @npub16w7…zne6 It’s the movie that (maybe) nobody asked for, but we all need.
https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/110/551/617/689/803/484/original/0032fa29bce078b0.jpeg

2023-06-15 02:04:03

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@npub1zdp…vqv8 True, and one of the photos floating around (which I have not verified) showed a photocopier next to the document boxes.
I don’t know that TFG cared all that much about the documents. I think it was more about him testing the waters to see what he could get away with, which was damned near anything.

2023-06-15 01:47:50

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@npub1p8s…4tga @npub15ef…n95r “Floridiots” 😂

2023-06-15 01:38:29

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@npub15ef…n95r Spoiler: if your beliefs tell you to blow up people, you have the wrong beliefs

2023-06-11 12:24:30

I’m trying to avoid Twitter completely. When I see a Mastodon post that’s from a Twitter replica account, I ignore it, and sometimes I block the account. If they want to be on Mastodon, let them post content here, and not on Elon’s site.
If someone posts a link to their Twitter account, and I accidentally click on it, I feel like I got RickRolled.
Your thoughts on that?
#twitter #birdsite #ElonMusk

2023-06-09 22:34:46

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@npub1ulm…hweg having your equitable cake and legally eating it too
It’s awfully simple but it ties in better with the original expression.

2023-06-06 16:31:03

@npub19xq…3y79 Courage is right.
The Omaha Beach landing scene in Saving Private Ryan, which I assume is realistic, was an eye-opener to the horrors that these soldiers went through.
https://youtu.be/qlbbICvkINg

2023-05-25 23:05:49

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@npub1v2s…mqq5 Wouldn’t it be funny if the first Neuralink volunteers happened to be anti-maskers?

2023-05-24 00:42:57

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@npub1edc…0q44 Florida’s hateful GOP administration doesn’t deserve this. But we do. This poetry recitation still gives me chills.

2023-05-03 12:53:48

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@npub1w30…dh68 Where can I buy a drone that moves like that?

2023-04-26 14:49:03

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#[0] Somebody please wake me when they elect a female pope.

2023-04-20 14:29:40

The SpaceX rocket test ended up being a great metaphor for the GOP, with different stages battling for control, and finally… kaboom.
Here’s hoping that it ends the exact same way for the GOP.
#[0] #[1]

2023-04-04 20:05:52

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#[0] The voters must love finding out that the candidate that they voted for was nothing more than a Trojan horse.

2023-04-02 19:25:40

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#[0] I can relate. Like these conservatives, I have been choked up since hearing about Trump’s (first) indictment. Because I can’t stop laughing.